I recently replaced all the insides in the toilet water closet, and I'm still getting some leakage where the fill valve opens and refills what water was lost. I've changed the new flappers two or three times already, and still am getting leakage. I installed a fluidmaster and the only thing I can figure out is that the flapper seal needs something done to it. Does that sound logical? Does anyone have any suggestions?? Any and all will be appreciated.

If you have not changed the flapper valve seat, where the flapper valve closes, you might have some mineral build up there keep the rubber flapper from sealing. Sometimes changing the flapper alone is not enough. It is hard on some closets to change the seat as it is part of the connecting device the holds the closet to the seat part.

Disassemble and clean the seal area with a medium steelwool. Like #1. That is how steel wool is graded. 0000 is super fine, 0 is fine and #1 is medium. SOS pad is about a #1 and you can use that. Don't apply to much pressure as these are soft metal like brass.

Next, check the angle that the flapper is at. Be sure it is square to the seat.

Hope this helps.

Walks on Water -----I changed all the insides, and that included the flapper seat. EVERYTHING is new in the water closet, and i'm still getting some leakage. Maybe I got a bad part, even though everthing is new. I hate to take everything apart again, if something simple is the solution. Thanks for your input! UJAY

We have 2 bathrooms in our house, both with low-flow toilets. When we bought the place a little over a year ago, the toilets leaked horribly.

My husband bought new flappers and installed them. Now one of the toilets is leaking again, but the other is fine. He has messed with it and messed with it and still it leakes. Just a tad, but even that is driving me up the wall, and our water bill is up because of it.

The weird thing is, they are both the same kind of toilet with the same flapper mechanism.

When I asked him a couple days ago what it would take to fix that dang toilet once and for all he said, "A brand new toilet?"

So, UJAY, I do feel your pain!

Here are some possible solutions... I have monkeyed around with toilets more than I care to admit.

1. If the flap operates fine when the cover is off the tank but then leaks when you put the cover on, you may have some parts that are sticking up too far. Don't ask me why they design toilets so this could happen but they do. The pressure from the lid presses down on the guts of the tank and will cause any variety of problems, one of which can be that the closure doesn't seat properly. We have had to take a jig saw and chop some of the parts at the top of a tank before so that this pressure doesn't cause the insides to get twisted, bound, etc...

2. Toilets in certain runs are sometimes defective and no amount of servicing will fix the problem. We've had any number of defects come up with toilets that involve changing out the toilet as the only option.

3. Try this... this is an easy solution that has worked for me before. Hold the flap down and allow the tank to fill. Release the flap and see if it will hold after being pressed in place. If not use a heavy object to get it to stay seated. Leave the toilet be for a weekend and see if when you return if the flap will have trained itself to seat properly.


What type of toilet is it and how old is the toilet versus the replacement parts?

Let us know how you're doing... toilet issues are a pain in the ***

Aminator -- The toilet is a Kohler, and it is only about 8 or 9 years old. ALL the new parts were installed within the past 2-3 weeks. We are having to put up with an occasional water filling up the tank (about every hour or two). It is getting to be annoying.

This is just information for those who were interested enough in my problem to offer suggestions. The leaking water closet finally got the best of me, and I decided to take the dang thing apart again. After I drained the water, I watched the inside of the drain, and saw a slight drip of water from under the gasket seal that goes between the water closet and the toilet where they join. So, I removed the water tank, and tightened the large nylon nut that presses up against the rubber gasket about half a turn. They tell you not to tighten the parts too tight, so you don't crack the porcelin, and evidentally I did not tighten the nylon nut enough. When everything was put back together, the leak was gone. Hallelujah!!!!!

Glad to hear you are up and flushing again!